Saul Landau, progreso-weekly.com, 13 November 2008

In the 1970s, Martin Agronsky, a weekend talk show host in Washington, finally invited the venerable I.F. (Izzy) Stone to join the establishment “pundits.” From the early 1950s through the early 1970s, Izzy had raised the basic issues to a readership — no more than 100,000 — of Stone’s Weekly.

Izzy treated inequality of income as both an axiom of capitalist economic relations and as a phenomenon sustained by the annual U.S. budget — that is, built into the “democratic” political system. He also questioned the veracity of the official U.S. version of the Cold War, with the USSR portrayed as the world fortress of evil seeking to spread its nefarious doctrine everywhere; thus the need for ever more money for “defense” of the free world. Such “dangerous” views, which he supported with fact and argument, won for Stone a position of avoidance by the establishment media — until he stopped publishing his weekly. Then, establishment journalists heaped accolades on his “heroic and imaginative journalism.” (See Myra McPherson, All Governments Lie: The Life and Times of Rebel Journalist I.F. Stone, 2006)

As the TV panel discussed the budget that morning, the mainstream pundits went as usual straight for the periphery. After they had offered their banalities, Izzy said the budget reflected the class propensities of Congress. Thus, he continued, the large corporations and banks would as always be its major beneficiaries. Silence — for a seemingly endless second! In TV terms: disaster. Izzy’s first appearance as a Washington expert also became his last. Some things you cannot say in the major media or in political discourse — that is, if you hope to become a TV regular or a major candidate.

[Read the article | Read Spanish version]

The World Next Week
15-21 November 2008

On Saturday the world’s attention will focus on the Group of 20 heads of state summit in Washington, DC. Although President-elect Barack Obama will not be in attendance, the outcome of the summit will indicate the tone of coordinated global economic action to come in the next year, and perhaps beyond.

The issues on the agenda abound, from reform of international organisations to settling on a common approach to global financial regulation. In the back of many people’s minds, however, will be whether this summit portends to a larger role for emerging economies in the political balance of power in international economic organisation. Moreover, countries not present, such as small but wealthy Gulf States, and European countries wanting an independent voice, may be disgruntled that their voices are not heard.

[Read more]

Israeli siege forces UN to halt food aid in Gaza Strip
By Agence France Presse (AFP), The Daily Star, 14 November 2008

Excerpt:

The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said a truck it sent to the border had been turned back.

Israel usually allows some humanitarian supplies into Gaza, but even this has stopped over the past week, leading to harsh criticism from aid agencies.

“Pushing people to the brink of desperation every few months and forcing UNRWA into yet another cycle of crisis management is not in the interest of anyone who believes in peace, moderation and stability,” said Gunness.

Israel also cut off European Union-funded fuel supplies to Gaza’s sole power plant on Thursday, prompting it to close down for want of diesel.

“It is completely shut down,” Palestinian Energy Authority official Qanaan Obeid told AFP.

The plant, which provides between a quarter and a third of Gaza’s power with the rest coming from the Egyptian and Israeli national grids, shut down on Monday after Israel cut off fuel deliveries.

Israel allowed the supply of what it described as “minimal quantities” of fuel to the plant on Tuesday and Wednesday before cutting it off again Thursday.

[Read the article]

Related:
Gaza Again Plunged into Darkness, Hunger as Israel Blocks Fuel, Food to Suffering Population

Sarah Palin has embarked upon her 2012 presidential campaign. Who is running Alaska? And who is underwriting this one-act play?

An Obama administration defined and corralled by Palin-Pawlenty-Gingrich financiers will be a series of concessions to the most rabid, immoral, racist and bigoted sociopaths safeguarding America’s armpits.

Democrats disabled by ignorance and dysfunction will continue to deny, validate, excuse the stink.

There is no class war. Subjugation is poured from the top and cements everyone into the mold.

Todd A. Boulanger et. al., are now running Alaska. Sarah has a script to memorise.

Cherrie Heywood, The Electronic Intifada, 13 November 2008

RAMALLAH (IPS) – The assault on Chris Davies, Liberal Democrat party spokesman for the environment for the north west of Britain and a member of the European Union’s parliamentary delegation to the Palestinian Legislative Council, has delivered a firm political message to the European parliament.

Davies was assaulted when he was taking part, together with several Israelis, Palestinians and people from other countries, in a protest rally against Israel’s barrier that divides Palestinian farmers from their land in the central West Bank village of Bilin.

Davies slammed the United States bias towards Israel, and questioned the EU policy on Hamas.

[Read the report]